Farewell To The Funk? Bootsy Collins Retires His Bass Because Of Doctor’s Orders

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Bootsy Collins is officially saying goodbye to the stage. The funk icon announced on Facebook that due to health reasons, he will no longer be able to perform live.

“Time has come for me to tell all our Funkateers that I will not be playing bass in concerts anymore. Doc said too much pressure on my inner ear and right hand,” he said in his post.

The 67-year-old is not completely out of the music game, but he has decided “to become a coach for up and coming musicians.” Can you imagine the next generation of musicians with Collins as their mentor? There’s no touching them. Bootsy also reassured fans that he’s got new music coming in 2019, and it’ll be “the funkiest year of them all.”

After learning how to play the bass from his brother Catfish Collins, the Cincinnati native began his career in the 70s by laying down bass tracks for none-other-than the legend, James Brown. He later went on to become a member of Parliament-Funkadelic. Just last year, frontman for the group, George Clinton announced his retirement. Collins eventually went on to become a solo artist. Check out this clip from Unsung where he talks about how drugs almost killed him:

TELL US: Are you excited for his new music in 2019?

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